There has been a long-felt need, made more glaring by recent events involving Boeing 787 aircraft that the control of batteries or cells using lithium ion reactions (including in the term of “lithium ion battery” or “lithium ion cell,” the general class of batteries or cells relying on lithium metal electrodes) must include control of their many facets including environment, charging voltage and amperage and battery temperature, primarily involving cooling, and the cell's absolute voltage. All of these may be necessary to provide an adequate degree of safety for the use of lithium ion cells and battery packs in relatively large sizes for consumer and industrial use, particularly in aircraft. Lithium cells have appeared to hold great promise because of their high energy density, but the technical problems with overheating, particularly as a result of overcharging, have limited their success in large energy applications. While the Boeing 787 problems have occupied the headlines, there have been other reports over a number of years of adverse consequences in automobiles and other appliances. Aircraft provide the most extreme examples of the potentially terrible consequences of catastrophic failure. Recently, an airliner in Japan had a lithium cell malfunction and was able to land safely because it was near or over Japan—posit that situation on a Great Circle route in northern latitudes or over long trans-ocean routes and an uncontrolled fire or catastrophic failure in the electrical system is less likely to end safely for passengers and crew. Similarly, in appliances such as automobiles, a failure in adverse weather conditions such as winter, or in remote or desert areas can have life-threatening consequences even if the vehicle can be exited safely.